ATGCLVLSSCAP | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 22 January 2016 | |||
Recorded | February 2014 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 80:05 | |||
Label | House of Mythology | |||
Producer | Ulver | |||
Ulver chronology | ||||
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Ulver studio album chronology | ||||
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ATGCLVLSSCAP is the tenth studio album by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Written, performed and produced by Ulver, the album was released on 22 January 2016 via newly formed, London-based label House of Mythology. [1]
The music was culled from multitrack recordings made at twelve different improvisatory "free rock" live shows the band performed in February 2014, and later edited and enhanced in the studio by Daniel O'Sullivan. [2] [3] The album has been described as "Ultimately a piece of work that exists above and beyond any conventional live recording, rather a hallucinatory travelogue as potent an experience to bear witness to as it was to construct." [2]
On 30 October 2015 the song "Cromagnosis" was broadcast on Baba Yaga's Hut via online radio station Resonance FM, and later uploaded to Mixcloud.
The song "Moody Stix" features samples from the song "Doom Sticks" from A Quick Fix of Melancholy . "Glammer Hammer" reinterprets "Glamour Box (Ostinati)" from Messe I.X–VI.X . "Nowhere (Sweet Sixteen)" is a new arrangement of "Nowhere/Catastrophe", and "Ecclesiastes (A Vernal Catnap)" reinterprets the ending of "Tomorrow Never Knows"; both original songs are from Perdition City . "England's Hidden" contains vocal samples of "England" from Wars of the Roses .
The album's title, ATGCLVLSSCAP, is an initialism referring to the first letter of each twelve signs of the zodiac, from Aries to Pisces. [4]
On 2 January 2014 Ulver announced an 11-date European tour: "the February dates will consist of partly new and improv-based material, likely to revolve around motifs already familiar to our familiars. We had a good experience doing just that (improv) in Oslo in August, so a more free-ranging form is what we are aiming for this time. We are looking forward to get out there, and hope for some interesting music to be born those evenings and nights. We also aim to document some of it for those of you who cannot come." [5] Kristoffer Rygg added, "The tour was to be an experiment, kind of loose and scary for a band as 'set in their ways' as us... It is partly borne out of that feeling, being a bit bored with the circumstances. It was quite liberating to do something more in the moment. One night a jam could be five minutes, and the next it could be fifteen. We couldn’t have captured these songs in a studio environment." [2]
On 3 June 2015, on the band’s official website, in a statement titled "Only Theatre of Pain", Ulver announced Daniel O'Sullivan, working under the moniker "12", had taken the multitrack recordings and begun sculpting and editing hours of material in his North London home, [6] before Anders Møller, Kristoffer Rygg and Tore Ylwizaker got involved, completing the recordings at Subsonic Society and Oak Hill Studios, Oslo. [2]
ATGCLVLSSCAP was recorded on the following dates:
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 70/100 [7] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Aftenposten | [8] |
Drowned in Sound | [9] |
Kerrang! | [10] |
Louder Than War | [11] |
MusicOMH | [12] |
Metal Hammer | [13] |
PopMatters | [14] |
Pitchfork | 6.5/10 [15] |
Sputnikmusic | 4.1/5 [16] |
Uncut | [17] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, ATGCLVLSSCAP has an average score of 70 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [7]
The Quietus wrote, "Ulver have clearly perfected the art of musical metamorphosis, yet they opt to balance all of their previous learnings on ATGCLVLSSCAP. Traces of so much lie therein, and each of the twelve tracks gives more with every listen, revealing new depths and fresh signposts to previous musics. ATGCLVLSSCAP is surely the most fully realised album they'll ever release." [18] Dom Lawson of Metal Hammer praised the album, adding, "Ulver continue to transform themselves at will and the results are thrillingly unpredictable but predictably thrilling." [19]
Writing for musicOMH , Sam Shepherd concludes, "ATGCLVLSSCAP is an album that explores the cosmos through a series of dichotomies. It is instinctive but planned, primal but enlightened, and hazy but focused. The only sure thing about it is that it is Ulver's finest work to date." [12] Benjamin Bland from Drowned in Sound said, "In a not dissimilar fashion to 2014's collaboration with Sunn O))), ATGCLVLSSCAP unhurriedly glides through its run time (a breezy seventy-nine minutes) without ever feeling ponderous. Building up so many layers of gorgeous sound over its initial hour that its transformation into more traditional song craft near its conclusion feels more like the beginning than the end. Despite its hefty length, then, ATGCLVLSSCAP works as a triumphant departure from the confines of the temporal." [9]
Jedd Beaudoin of PopMatters said, "Ulver creates its own world with this album, exists on its own terms and asks us to consider embracing something that is outside the norm but well within the human experience and worth the journey of transformation it takes us on. Ulver has once more created a record that will live far beyond this time and will be spoken of in the most reverent of tones and that’s as it should be." [14] John Robb from Louder Than War described the albums as "an aural adventure to get lost in. A droning dark masterpiece of groundbreaking music that slithers out of dull and boring stuff like categories. 23 years in and the band are on the verge of becoming a major force. ATGCLVLSSCAP is their statement. It's diverse, multi faceted and beautifully dark. It's the soundtrack to a film that only exists in your head. It is grand, thrilling and darkly restless. It has a beauty and danger and is utterly compelling." [11]
Paul Travers from Kerrang! was much more critical, saying, "There are some nice hypnotic grooves, but this smells mostly of self-indulgence. Worse, it’s boring as hell, proving even geniuses can misstep." [20]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "England's Hidden" | 7:43 |
2. | "Glammer Hammer" | 4:49 |
3. | "Moody Stix" | 6:42 |
4. | "Cromagnosis" | 9:48 |
5. | "The Spirits That Lend Strength Are Invisible" | 3:16 |
6. | "Om Hanumate Namah" | 7:42 |
7. | "Desert/Dawn" | 8:27 |
8. | "D-Day Drone" | 9:22 |
9. | "Gold Beach" | 4:58 |
10. | "Nowhere (Sweet Sixteen)" | 5:57 |
11. | "Ecclesiastes (A Vernal Catnap)" | 9:02 |
12. | "Solaris" | 2:18 |
Total length: | 80:05 |
On stage
Behind the scenes
Chart (2016) | Peak position |
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Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [21] | 45 |
Ulver is a Norwegian experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album Bergtatt, were categorised as folklore-influenced black metal, but the band has since evolved a fluid and increasingly eclectic musical style, blending genres such as experimental rock, electronica, ambient, trip hop, symphonic and chamber traditions, noise, progressive and experimental music into their oeuvre. 1997 marked their international debut with the release of their third album Nattens madrigal through German label Century Media. However, following discord with the label, Rygg formed his own imprint, Jester Records, in 1998.
Nattens Madrigal – Aatte Hymne Til Ulven I Manden is the third studio album by Norwegian band Ulver, issued on 3 March 1997 via Century Media. Composed and arranged during the first half of 1995, Nattens is a concept album about wolves, the night, the moon, and the dark side of mankind.
A Quick Fix of Melancholy is the fourth EP by Norwegian experimental collective Ulver. Produced in the Winter of 2002, the EP was issued on 26 August 2003 via Jester Records. A precursor to the album Blood Inside, A Quick Fix of Melancholy showcases the band's ability to seamlessly combine ambient and electronic music with orchestral elements.
Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler is the debut studio album by the Norwegian band Ulver, issued on February 1995 via Head Not Found. The album was recorded at Endless Lydstudio in Oslo in November and December 1994 with Kristian Romsøe as engineer and co-producer.
Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is the fourth studio album by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Produced with Kristoffer Rygg, together with Knut Magne Valle and Tore Ylwizaker, it was issued on 17 December 1998 via Jester Records. It is a musical adaptation of William Blake's poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. The album blends electronics, industrial music elements, progressive metal, avant-garde rock and ambient passages, following Blake's plates as track indexes. Stine Grytøyr, Ihsahn, Samoth and Fenriz all feature as guest vocalists.
Kveldssanger is the second studio album by Norwegian band Ulver, issued in March 1996 via Head Not Found. The album was recorded at Endless Lydstudio, Oslo, Norway in the summer and autumn of 1995, with Kristian Romsøe as engineer and co-producer.
Perdition City is the fifth studio album by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver, issued in March 2000, via Jester Records. The album was recorded and produced by Kristoffer Rygg and Tore Ylwizaker, mixed by Ylwizaker at Beep Jam Studio and mastered by Audun Strype at Strype Audio.
Kristoffer Rygg, also known as Garm, Trickster G. Rex and God Head, is a heavy-metal vocalist, musician and producer known primarily for his work with Ulver, Arcturus, and Borknagar.
Metamorphosis is the first EP by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Written and produced by Kristoffer Rygg and Tore Ylwizaker, the EP was issued on 27 September 1999 via Jester Records. The EP showcased Ulver's new electronic musical direction that would become more readily apparent on the album Perdition City.
Shadows of the Sun is the seventh studio album by the Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Produced by Ulver, the album was issued in October 2007 via Jester Records and The End Records. Officially announced on 13 July 2007, Shadows of the Sun received critical acclaim on release, and was described as "dark and tragic", with "soothing electronics and natural percussion". The album features contributions from Pamelia Kurstin on theremin, Mathias Eick on trumpet, and Austrian white noise musician Christian Fennesz adding electronics and helping Ulver to correspond with their vision on the final product.
Daniel O'Sullivan is a British musician and composer from Manchester, best known for playing in experimental art-rock bands Grumbling Fur, Guapo, Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses, Ulver, Sunn O))), Æthenor, Laniakea, Miracle, Mothlite, and This Is Not This Heat. He's also released solo work under his own name.
Wars of the Roses is the eighth studio album by the Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. The album was produced by Ulver, with John Fryer and Jaime Gomez Arellano, and issued in the UK on 25 April 2011 via Jester Records and Kscope, preceded by a single, "February MMX", in February. The album was released in the U.S. on 3 May 2011. Wars of the Roses is the first album to feature new member, British composer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel O'Sullivan.
Childhood's End is a compilation album of cover songs by Norwegian experimental collective Ulver. Produced by Ulver, the album was recorded live in Crystal Canyon Studios, Oslo, over two sessions, in autumn 2008 and summer 2011, and issued in May, 2012 on Jester Records under exclusive license to Kscope.
Messe I.X–VI.X is the ninth studio album by the Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver, created in collaboration with the Tromsø Chamber Orchestra with additional aid from composer Martin Romberg. Written and produced by Ulver, released on October 8, 2013, via Jester Records and Kscope.
Terrestrials is a collaborative studio album by American drone metal band Sunn O))) and Norwegian experimental music group Ulver. Produced by Stephen O'Malley and Kristoffer Rygg, it was released on February 3, 2014, via Southern Lord Records. It has been described as "three live improvisation pieces".
Myrkur is a solo black metal project by Danish singer Amalie Bruun. Initially, the real-life identity of the person behind the project was kept unknown. Her identity has since been made public. Myrkur has released three full-length studio albums to significant critical acclaim, as well as a live album and two EP. Her most recent album, Folkesange, was released on 20 March 2020 through Relapse Records.
Riverhead is an original motion picture soundtrack album by Norwegian experimental collective Ulver for Justin Oakey’s 2016 film of the same name. The album was issued in December 2016 via House of Mythology.
The Assassination of Julius Caesar is the eleventh studio album by Norwegian electronic band Ulver, released on 7 April 2017 via London-based label House of Mythology. The album was recorded and produced by Ulver in Oslo throughout summer 2016 and winter 2017 with mixing by Martin Glover and Michael Rendall in London, January 2017.
Flowers of Evil is the twelfth studio album by Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver. Written and produced by Ulver, the album was released on August 28, 2020 via House of Mythology. The album was recorded in Oslo from summer 2019 to winter 2020 and mixed by Martin Glover and Michael Rendall in February 2020. The album was officially announced in February 2020 with music video of the song "Russian Doll" being released on Valentine's Day. The second single "Little Boy" was made available on April 4, 2020.
Scary Muzak is the thirteenth studio album by the Norwegian experimental electronica band Ulver, released in 2021 on October 31 (Halloween). The album is heavily inspired by soundtracks from 1970s and 1980s horror movies, with five out of the twelve songs on the album incorporating music from the soundtrack to John Carpenter's 1978 film Halloween.